Mr. Miche?l ? Conaire:

The years 2019-2021 are, again, reflective of what happened with Covid. While the figures for medals were 80 in 2019, 14 in 2020 and 62 in 2021, that reflects the fact many competitions did not take place in 2020 due to the pandemic and things were getting back off the ground in 2021. It was quite a successful year. The Olympic Games took place last year. We were very successful there in winning four medals but also as regards the number of top-eight finishes and whatnot. We also had a very successful Paralympic Games.

Particular targets have been set down in a new high-performance strategy that Sport Ireland launched last summer just prior to the Olympic Games. For the first time, medal targets have been set down for the coming Olympic cycles in 2024, 2028 and 2032. That is a new departure. We believe it is good in focusing the high-performance element and directing our funding so we can see progress being made in particular areas. Many sports are moving towards more targeted high-performance funding in particular areas. That is something the Department has worked closely with Sport Ireland on. We hope to see in 2022 a figure that is more reflective of a full year of competition unaffected by Covid. We will see what the rest of the year holds.